Lead-acid could challenge lithium-ion in hybrids

With disenchantment in lithium-ion technology on the rise, lead-acid batteries may be poised to play a bigger role in green vehicles.

With disenchantment in lithium-ion technology on the rise, lead-acid batteries may be poised to play a bigger role in green vehicles.

Automakers are said to be taking a closer look at lead-acid, in hopes that the century-old chemistry could serve in future vehicles that employ mild hybrid and start-stop powertrains. ”When I conceived of this company two-and-a-half years ago, the interest in lead-acid technology was zero,” Subhash Dhar, founder and CEO of Energy Power Systems (EPS), maker of a new lead-acid battery chemistry, told Design News. “Today, on a one-to-10 scale, it’s a seven.”